Fidelity
by Donna8
Summary: A missing scene from the movie --- Adora and Cain before Zero arrives to put him in the suit. This is my take on why Adora never went back for her husband.


**Disclaimer: I do not own anything TinMan. **

**This was written for a TinMan challenge on Live Journal. A Missing Scene - The Separation of Adora and Wyatt - In a moment of crisis, how can Adora prove her fidelity to her man?  
**

**Warnings: This story has a slightly dark ending based upon the idea that Adora is willing to do anything for her family.**

The sounds of footsteps broke the quiet of the morning. Large male hands wrapped around her waist. Warm lips nibbled on the back of her neck.

"Good morning, dear. Did you sleep well?" Adora asked Wyatt, leaning back into his body.

His hands moved upwards to cup her breasts. His thumbs brushed repeatedly over her nipples.

"I slept like a log. Where is Jeb?" His left hand began to wander further south.

Adora grabbed his hand and replied, "He is outside, so we don't' have time for that; however…" She turned and laced her arms around his neck. Her mouth moved over his in a sensuous kiss. She pushed her body deeper into his, making sure to focus attention on his rising affection.

"Maybe Jeb could go exploring later and we could…" Jeb's noisy return through the door interrupted the couple's good morning routine.

"Mom! Dad! Please, you are scarring me for life here," the eight year old boy whined.

Wyatt released his wife and tousled the blond hair on his son's head. "Trust me, son. Someday, you will understand the fascination we Cain men have for our women."

Adora snorted, "You mean the things us women put up with for you Cain men. Speaking of which, Jebadiah, do you happen to know what happened to my good table cloth?"

Jeb's eyes widened, and he bit his lip. "Dad and I kinda used it yesterday to make a landing area for my catapult. It was all Dad's idea, Mom. Honest."

He quickly ducked behind his father. Adora glared at Wyatt and Jeb. "Wyatt Jebadhiah Cain, how could you? You know that Mrs. Greenlee gave me that tablecloth on our wedding day."

Wyatt held up his hands in supplication. "Now, Adora, honey. It's not damaged, just dirty. Plus," he cocked his head to one side, "if I am not mistaken you hated that tablecloth. Something about it being made of Althoron fabric, which," his voice now in a horrible imitation of his wife's voice, "just will not hold color and fades something horrible every time it is washed."

Adora glared at him for minute until her smile could no longer be contained. She doubled over laughing. She never could stay mad at Wyatt for long. Every time they had a fight, and lord did they have huge ones, inevitably he would give her that little boy smirk and she would just dissolve.

Containing her laughter, Adora ordered Jeb back outside to retrieve her tablecloth. Wyatt snagged her around the waist and planted her in his lap. He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Well, that should take him a good five minutes. What could we do in five minutes…hmmm?" His fingers ghosted around her body.

Adora nibbled on Wyatt's earlobe and kissed her way down his neck. Her hands quickly unbuttoned his shirt and pushed inside. Wyatt groaned at the feel of her hands tracing the lines of his muscles. Sneakily, Adora feathered one hand down Wyatt's torso and landed directly in his lap. His breathing sped up as she stroked him through his pants. After several years of marriage, she knew exactly how to bring him to the brink quickly.

Adora flicked the edge of one ear and whispered to him. "Well, I am sure that five minutes would be okay for you, but I think I might need a little longer. So, nice try."

With that, she leapt off his lap and returned to the stove. Wyatt leaned over and panted heavily. After a few moments, he straightened and glared at his unrepentant wife.

"Damn, Adora. You don't play fair."

"Just think of it as a prelude to upcoming pleasures. Now, go get me eggs for breakfast." With a wooden spoon, she pointed Wyatt outside. The former Tin Man shuffled out the door muttering the whole time.

A small smile broke across her face. God, she loved that man. He was the most hard-headed, aggravating, stubborn man she had ever met, but he would do anything for her and Jeb. When things were going right, Adora and Wyatt were fire and wood. They burned hot and furiously. When things were going not so well (as they do in any good marriage), the underlying humor between them made everything turn out all right. They were a good match.

Plus, it didn't hurt that he had the best ass of any man in the OZ. What could she say? She loved his tight pants. It had taken her the first year of their marriage to learn to shrink them enough to get that tight fit. And he thought it was her cooking. Adora shook her head at the thought. If Wyatt ever found out he hadn't needed all those extra sit ups, push-ups and miles of running to stop the supposed extra weight gain, she would be dead.

Humming a little, Adora danced toward the stove to get breakfast on the table. A few minutes later, Wyatt entered with six eggs. He laid them on the counter, kissed her on the cheek, and then retreated to the bedroom to finish dressing.

'_Jeb should be back at any minute. Maybe we could take a picnic down to the lake. I really need to water that Whispering Ash that Wyatt and Jeb planted for me last week.'_

Her thoughts were interrupted by Jeb running into the house. "Jeb, don't come in here with muddy shoes. I just washed the floors yesterday."

Jeb panted for breath. His eyes were wide with fright. "Longcoats coming up the road. I saw them."

Wyatt had come into the room upon hearing Jeb's rushed entrance. He grabbed his son's shoulders. "Where exactly were they? Do you think they saw you? I know you're scared son, but I need to know." He squeezed Jeb's shoulder.

Jeb took one deep breath. "About two miles up the road. I don't think they saw me, but I heard the leader, a blond haired man, say that Cain lived around here."

"Zero!" Cain ground out. His face tightened in anger. He paced around the room for a few precious moments. "Adora, you and Jeb go to the hiding place. They don't know that you're here. Maybe I can convince them I am not Wyatt Cain. Convince them to look elsewhere." He shook his head. "Regardless, I can't be worrying about you and Jeb. I need you safe."

Brown eyes shot daggers at her husband. "Like hell will I leave you. I agree that Jeb should go, but a single man alone is more suspicious than a man and woman. You need me here to help throw off suspicion. Dammit Wyatt, don't you do this to me."

Jeb's head bounced back between his mother and father. Their arguments were nothing new, but this time was different. He could hear the fear in each parent's voice.

Wyatt grabbed hold of Adora and pulled her close. He buried one hand in her hair and breathed in the scent that was uniquely his wife. "Adora, you promised me when all this started that you would protect Jeb. That was the only reason I stayed so long with the Resistance. Because you promised me." He pulled her head back and gazed into her eyes. "Now, will you take Jeb and go?"

Tears shown in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. "Damn you to hell Wyatt. Don't ask me to lose you. I am not ready to be alone. I need you. Let's just go together. They won't find us."

Wyatt smiled sadly. "Honey, I can't. Zero knows that I am still alive. He won't stop searching until either he or I are dead. Now, I have no desire to leave you and Jeb. I just can't see any way out of this. Our only hope is if I can convince them I am not Wyatt Cain. You need to go." He put his mouth close to her ear. "Plus, I believe you promised me some excitement later on tonight, and I am in sore need of your expertise."

Adora laughed through a choked sob. "Wyatt, you are terrible." She sighed and lay her head on his shoulder. "We will go. Just remember that I love you."

Adora turned to Jeb. "Jeb, I need you to go with me. Your father will stay and take care of the Longcoats"

Jeb shook his head in denial. "No. I am not leaving him." He glared at his mother. "You can leave, run away and hide, but I am not. I will stay with my father."

Wyatt pinched the bridge of his nose. He was torn between anger at his son's disrespectfulness and pride at his sense of loyalty. However, concern for his family's safety won out over everything.

"Jeb!" Wyatt barked. "You will not speak to your mother that way again."

Wyatt knelt down in front of his son. Blue eyes met blue eyes. "I need you to look after your mother until I can get to you. You are the man of the house until I return. I want your word that you will protect her."

Jeb's mouth quivered, and he sucked in a shaky breath. "I promise."

"Good boy. I love you, Jeb. Never forget that." Wyatt enfolded his son in a last embrace.

Adora gathered Jeb and hurried him to a hidden door in the bedroom floor. She and Wyatt had made this escape route when they had first built the cabin. She had hoped to never use it, but she was too much of a realist. With a heave, she opened the trap door and gently pushed Jeb into the darkened space. Just in time. She could hear the pounding of horse hooves getting louder.

She lowered the door, and Wyatt placed the rug back in place. His footsteps echoed through the small tunnel. Adora knew that she and Jeb should leave, but she could not make her feet move. That was her husband up there. The one man in the whole OZ that she would move heaven and earth for. She could not make herself leave him.

She felt tears leak from her eyes. She could hear Wyatt in her mind yelling at her to go and get Jeb safe. But her woman's heart wouldn't let her feet move. Jeb pulled insistently at her hand. Her ears strained to hear any sound from outside.

Adora heard the murmurs of conversation. She caught the a few nonsensical words. Then she heard an unmistakable sound. Flesh hitting flesh and the grunts of pain from her husband.

Fury rose up within her chest. Her eyes burned fire. They would pay for hurting Wyatt. She would rip their eyes from their heads and feed them to the crows. Turning to Jeb with death in her eyes, Adora told him to stay put.

She then quietly moved up the ladder and squeezed through the door. She took moments to rearrange the rug to hide her son's presence. She crept through the house and peaked out the side window. There was Wyatt. He was being held down by two Longcoats. One, the blond, who must have been Zero, was taunting him. Blood dripped from a cut above Wyatt's eye. Four additional men were searching around the homestead with guns, while a fifth was watching the horses.

Adora froze when she heard a creak behind her. Huge hands latched onto her shoulders and pulled her up. She reached one hand back to scratch the man's eyes. She twisted in his grasp. He folded one huge arm around her chest and brought her back hard against his body. She was effectively immobile.

The man called out "Sir. In here." A few moments later, Adora was faced with the man her husband had called Zero. He smirked cruelly into her eyes. He motioned for the man to release her. As Adora hit the ground she lashed out with her hands for Zero's face. She may not have been much of a fighter, but she wasn't going to let go without a fight.

Zero chuckled darkly as her hands connected with his face. He waited for the next blow. As her hand passed by, he grabbed it and pushed her into the wall. He motioned the guard to go outside. He pressed his body harshly into hers. With his cruel eyes staring at her, he leaned close and ran his nose up one side of her head and then the other.

Adora cringed at the contact. She felt a wet tongue swipe her cheek. A low voice laughed in her ear. "Why, if it isn't the delicious Mrs. Cain. I had no idea that Cain was hiding such a beauty." A rough hand smoothed the hair from her face. "I wonder what Cain would do for you. Do you think he would give me the names of the other members of the Resistance?" He pushed Adora's dress to one side off her shoulder. He then bit down hard on the exposed skin until her blood broke through. He then lapped it up like a dog. During the entire episode, Adora's eyes gleamed with hate. She didn't allow herself to make one sound that could be used to hurt Wyatt.

Zero then grabbed her by the neck and marched her out the door. He turned to the guard that had come in. "Search the house. Find the boy." He ordered.

Adora shouted, "No! Leave him alone."

Cain's heart froze at the sound of his wife's voice. He wanted to look at her, but the pain lancing through his body prevented it. He could hear the impassioned plea in her voice.

Zero stepped up to Cain, wrapping Adora's hair ribbon around his hand. He reared back and landed blow after blow across Cain's face. The blood from his wounds soaked the ribbon. Adora's heart ached as she watched her husband pushed to the brink of death from the multiple beatings.

Zero laughed and he placed the blood-soaked ribbon in Cain's pocket. Just then, another guard forced Jeb from the house. Jeb ran at Zero to hit him. Zero chuckled and backhanded Jeb across the face.

Adora's eyes flew to Wyatt's face as he roared his anger at the mistreatment of his son and wife. Wyatt jerked one arm free and landed a lucky punch on the man holding his right arm. Zero held off Jeb's assault with one hand as the other Longcoats subdued Wyatt.

Zero casually backhanded Jeb again, but this time knocking the young boy unconscious. He then circled around the captured couple. "You know Cain, you've led the Sorceress on a merry chase. You should have died in the Central City assault, but alas you didn't. Now, you have a choice. Give me the names of your resistance allies, or watch that pretty wife of yours suffer. What will it be?"

Cain raised his head to stare in his wife's eyes. She could read the indecision there. His honor said to say nothing, but his love for his family and for her surpassed all else. He would give up the names of the resistance leaders for her. If she allowed him to do that, then she was no better than Zero.

Straightening up, Adora looked Wyatt in the eyes. She tried to convey all the love and admiration she had for him in that one moment. She then drew back one elbow and plowed it into the gut of the man holding her arm. When he loosened it, she grabbed the gun he carried. Quickly, she aimed at Wyatt and pulled the trigger.

The sound deafened everyone. Time stood still. Adora stood there, horrified at her actions. Wyatt's face shown shock and disbelief. He glanced down at the crimson stain flowing down his shirt. His eyes then drifted back to his wife's apologetic gaze. He smiled faintly in understanding. She was keeping her promise. Jeb would be safe. She would get him out of there. Wyatt then fell face down in the dirt.

Adora wanted so badly to run and embrace her husband. To cradle his bruised and battered body next to hers. Instead, she dropped the gun and faced Zero.

In a cold tone that eerily reminded Zero of the Sorceresses, Adora spoke. "He can't tell you the names of the resistance now, and he never told me. So, you've lost Zero. Let us go."

Zero stared hard at the embittered woman. He then began to laugh. He motioned for his men to let her go. One foot kicked the still body of Wyatt Cain. "Yes, you have won this round, Mrs. Cain. However, I am certain we will meet again. And let's hope for your sake that I am in a forgiving mood when that happens."

Zero then turned away from Adora like she was nothing. She cast one more glance at Wyatt's still form. In her heart, she prayed for his forgiveness, because she would never forgive herself.

She walked over to the Longcoat's horses and grabbed the reins of one. A guard attempted to stop her, but Zero just waved him off. He was smirking at her every action. She led the horse over to Jeb's prone body. She tried to lift him onto the horse, but she was not strong enough.

Suddenly, hands wrapped around her waist and threw her up on the horse. Zero then grabbed Jeb and placed him front of her.

"So, where will you go, Mrs. Cain?" Zero questioned.

"Somewhere far from here. We'll follow the brick route for a while, but you won't ever find us again. We will be far from your grasp." Adora taunted him.

Zero evilly smiled up at her. "I somehow doubt that, Mrs. Cain." He then raised his hand and swatted the horse on the hindquarters. Adora glanced back once as the horse led her away from her life. She saw Zero push Wyatt over onto his back, look up at her, and start laughing hysterically. He had finally beaten the Tin Man.

Zero watched with pleasure at Mrs. Cain's retreat. This was even better than what he had originally planned. Too bad Mrs. Cain didn't realize that her husband was not dead, but just slightly wounded. He would live, but not the way he might want. No, Zero had other plans for Wyatt Cain. He glanced up at his lieutenant. "Bring me the Iron Suit."

The End


End file.
